VIRAL: BOOK ONE: THE ADVENTURE BEGINS
by NetherFan345
Summary: What happens when you put a intelligent virus into Terraria? A bloodthirsty psychopath who is trying to use the world as a warship to conquer the universe. But, it left behind someone; Ericon Finalez, an 18-year-old loser who has been tasked with saving order and peace. But, he doesn't even know what to do when a part Lihzahrd-part human woman finds him and wants to help.
1. Chapter 1

VIRAL

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Terraria, or any of its assets. All that I own are Ericon, Emilon, Hal, Griffah, Solaris, Vortine, Nebulite, Stardon, Terra, the Chlorophyters, the Nethrons, the Hallownites, the Griefer Squad, the Crimstars, the Spectres, the Spectrals, the Dracos, the Titans, and the Counsel of the Moon Lord.

Ch.1:

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEE- *CLICK!*

I yawned and opened my eyes. A gray ceiling greeted me with dry paint. I sighed and closed my eyes again.

"Man… I hate mornings."

I struggled out from under the covers and set my feet onto the plush rug at the side of the full sized bed; a pair of size 13 slippers awaited my sleepy feet.

I staggered over to a mirror and looked myself up and down, a beam of sunlight shooting through the single bland, rectangle window onto me. I sighed again as I stared at my reflection; a 6' 01", blue-eyed 18-year-old with long, almost anime-style bedhead blonde hair wearing white and blue-striped pajamas looked back

Through squinted eyes, I fumbled around on the nightstand for my favorite comb. I began to lovingly caress my lengthy hair into a style that reminded me of every anime teenager stereotype ever. I cringed as I redid it into multiple styles, each one worse than the last. I finally threw up my hands in disgust and stormed off to the bathroom.

I stared into the vanity as I brushed my teeth with standard, bland mint toothpaste. I spat into the sink and rinsed the foam down the drain. I chugged a Dixie cup of water and walked back into the bedroom, where I changed into a plain red T-shirt, my favorite blue denim jeans and black and deep green tennis shoes. I looked up at my hair again and tried to make it look at least somewhat nicer, but it kept on springing back to its original position. Frustrated, I strode back to the nightstand, picked up my car keys, and began to advance towards the apartment door.

Outside, it was rather quiet, which wasn't all bad. I mean, it was better than a bunch of drunks hooting and hollering in the hallway like it was two days ago. I descended multiple flights of stairs and came into the main lobby. The doorman waited for me.

"Hey, Ericon! Yesterday was a nightmare again?"

"You're telling me. Angry customers yelling at me about stupid things that weren't my fault; discs shattering; power outage; a console short-circuiting; cartridges breaking; heck, a guy came in and stole every copy of the Terraria. It was BAD."

The doorman didn't seem surprised.

"'Ay. I've been there multiple times in my life. 'Specially with the misses. She's got quite the short temper. Anyways, see ya' 'round," the man replied, opening the door for me.

I stepped into my silver Kia and started it up. The sound of the engine seemed to calm me as I threw it into reverse. I steered out of the curb-side parking slip, shifted to Drive, and entered the main highway.

Driving was rather odd for me. For one, my peripheral vision was working a lot, which was odd to my brain, as I usually focused on one detail at a time. Second, I had to pay attention to what was going on behind me as well as what was in front of me. Gave me a headache most of the time. Lastly, people are stupid, so I have to sit and wait for five minutes at a stoplight or on a freeway.

"Ugghhh," I groaned as I stopped at a lengthy line of other cars. An accident had apparently happened, so traffic was backed up quite a bit. I rested my head into my right hand as I waited for the cars to move. I flicked on the radio to cure my boredom. A smile crept across my face as my favorite dubstep song began to come through the car's speakers. But as soon as it started, the Amber Alert came on.

"Attention all American citizens. Our scientists have recently located a very large meteorite, with a diameter of around 2 miles, that rapidly approaching the Earth. The US Army Corps of Engineers is currently trying to find a way to stop this approaching menace as we speak. Please remain in your cars, homes, hotels, or any other sturdy place until the danger passes. This alert will remain active until 5 PM this evening."

Trembling with fear, I looked out the car window.

Nothing.

That is, until the sky started turning red.


	2. Chapter 2

VIRAL

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Terraria, or any of its assets. All that I own are Ericon, Emilon, Hal, Griffah, Solaris, Vortine, Nebulite, Stardon, Terra, the Chlorophyters, the Nethrons, the Hallownites, the Griefer Squad, the Crimstars, the Spectres, the Spectrals, the Dracos, the Titans, and the Counsel of the Moon Lord.

Ch.2:

Ch.2:

I stared up at the sky in shock. It was true. A large, dark object was careening towards the Earth. So, I did the only thing I could do; I panicked. I jumped out of the car and started running. To where, I had no idea. I just wanted to get away, but I knew deep down I was doomed. I saw a large armored truck stopped across the road. It was empty. I lept into the back of it, and slammed the back doors shut. There were small, bullet-proof windows in the sides of the truck, so I peered through one. People were running around like headless chickens, bumping into each other, screaming all the way;

"We're all gonna die!"

"Run for your lives!"

"It is the End Times!"

As the meteorite closed in, I began to thank God for all of the wonderful things he had done for me and my family. A loud WHOOSH, a trail of fire following the meteorite passing overhead, then impact.

The poor people outside were incinerated; puffs of ash were where they truck that I was in flew through the air like some bird having a seizure. I hit my head multiple times due to the truck's spinning. The armored vehicle landed on its side, and I was tossed out when the doors were ripped off their hinges. The last thing I saw was a strange greenish cloud coming out of the crater where the meteorite had hit. Then I lost conciousness.

I awoke. That was surprising to me. I had sworn I had died.

"This must be heaven or something. I must be dead. Why else would there be… OH."

All around me was jungle. Massive trees grew everywhere. Moss covered the freeway, strange lumps of vegetation growing over all the cars, looking like massive boulders instead of a means of transport. The sky was a much richer blue than ever before, the air almost completely free of any smoke and harmful chemicals. It was beautiful, in an odd sense. Just untamed wilderness.

"God, if this is heaven, it's really devoid of people. Where is everyone?"

Seeing as there was no response, I began to wander down the now completely covered freeway back to the city. Car boulders were everywhere on the road, nasty decomposing bodies within each. Makeshift coffins, if you will.

Huge bushes, tall, thick grass, enormous trees. Every plant imaginable was growing at an alarming rate. There were also strange, heart-shaped fruits growing from small vines at ground level. They looked edible, so when I got the chance, I stooped down, picked a rather small one, and took a bite. Rich, honey-like flavor exploded into my mouth. It was so sweet it hurt my teeth. I spat it out and threw it onto the ground.

I began to walk away from the almost disgusting fruit when I heard a rustling sound behind me. I turned, and the fruit had disappeared from where it had been tossed by me. No trace.I stared at the spot where it had been, then began backing away. I heard movement behind me, so I turned. Nothing. I began to inch forward on tiptoe.

I felt something slam into me from behind. I let out a cry of shock and shouted;

"HELP!"

Whatever had flown at me was clinging on as me and it began to roll down a nearby hill covered in moss and thick, lush, green grass.

We collided with several rocks and trees on the way down, but whatever it was seemed unfazed, while I had stars swirling in front of my eyes. When we reached the bottom, I laid limp on the ground. My ribs screamed in pain, my skull throbbing. I felt something warm grab my shirt collar and hoist me up. I was too weak to open my eyes, so I couldn't see. My head slumped against my shoulder, but I did hear heavy breathing nearby.

"Open your eyes."

It was a female's voice, which surprised me. But it made my head hurt.

"I said OPEN THEM."

"I-I… can't."

"Why not?"

I tried to move my head. It just slumped into a new position.

She began to speak again, but I detected a note of concern;

"Are you hurt?"

I cringed as she moved me slightly lower. The breathing was right in my face now. I struggled to speak;

"My ribs… they… hurt. So badly."

I tried to move, but the pain made my eyes water.

"AGH."

"Please don't move."

She picked up my limp legs, and held me like a small child. She must have been very strong, as it would take a lot to lift about 200 pounds.

"Don't worry, weird pink thing. I'll get you healed and fed. I've never seen someone look so thin in my life. Little twigs for limbs. I'm so sorry."

I grunted, which made my throat ache.

Something was in my hair, moving back and forth. Feeling it.

"So soft…"

Her hands felt odd, almost bumpy, yet soothing.

"It's alright. Please don't be scared…"

She was starting to walk somewhere. I tried to open my eyes, but it hurt too much, so I didn't. She started to speak again;

"If you don't mind me saying, I… no, forget it. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

When I didn't say anything, she sighed and kept moving. To where, I had no idea. Then sleep overcame me.


	3. Chapter 3

Ch. 3

When I awoke, I felt softness all around me, like a cocoon. I almost felt like I was back home with mom, because I could smell something sweet cooking. The warmth from whatever it was gave me strength, and I opened my eyes again.

I was in a cave of some sort. Dang it, I had hoped I was actually home. The walls and ceiling were covered in strange, rust-colored brick that was holding the place up. There was a strange light to one side of the cave, so I looked over. A large cauldron with boiling liquid sat over next to the wall, a warm fire crackling right below it.

I slipped out from under whatever it was. As it turns out, it was just a blanket. Sighing in relief, I began to wander around the cave. A table and chairs stood against the same wall as the massive cauldron. Small tunnels broke off from the walls, some entrances glowing with a soft, yellow light. I picked one, and began to walk down it. The short tunnel was tall enough to walk in, and was still covered in that rusty brick. There was a room at the end, filled with those strange, heart-shaped fruits. Remembering my last experience with them, I backed out in disgustt.

The next tunnel led to some kind of bedroom. A massive hammock hung from two of the walls, a nightstand with a flower in a pot sitting to one side. A torch of some kind flickered and wavered with that yellowish light. A closet stood open on the wall opposite the hammock, shreds of fabric hanging from make-shift clothes hangers.

The last tunnel was the exit. The walls were covered in strange banners, each containing a piece of some creature. There were about twelve different ones.

"What do you think of my Banner collection?"

I jumped and whirled around.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH! WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU!"

There stood a woman of some sort. Green scales covered her entire body, partially covered by shreds of fabric, and three massive crests swept back along her head. Large, yet lean muscle added bulk to her arms and shoulders. She had a narrow waist, but had prominent abs, so she wasn't thin at all. However, her hips and thighs were ridiculously huge, and she had quite a chest. A thick, 6 foot tail slowly waved back and forth. Large, lake blue eyes stared at me, a thin smile creasing her lips.

I panicked, and began to run in circles, screaming like I was on fire. I eventually collided with a wall, and fell over, still trying to run. I heard laughter, and looked in that direction. She had sat down and was laughing very hard, her chest heaving up and down as she sighed deeply.

"You're so funny! That look on your face… that was gold! Pfffftttt HAHAHA!"

I backed into a corner, and began sobbing.

"PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! PLEASE, I'M BEGGING YOU!"

She stood up, easily reaching eight feet in height.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. But I saw you before, in the Jungle. Do you remember that?"

I was to busy screaming as she approached. I tried to scramble backwards through the wall, but the brick did its job well and kept upright.

"Come now, there's no need to be afraid of me. I'm not gonna eat you."

She was mere inches away, and she knelt down in front of me. She began to stroke my cheek, but I pulled away.

"Dude, I just want to feel your… skin. I've never seen another person without scales."

"I-I…"

She smiled.

"You CAN talk! That's really cool! Finally, someone who I can talk to without almost dying! Seriously, everyone else tries to rip my head off! What's your name, buddy?"

I was too busy internally freaking out to pay attention. Lizard people!? What the flip was going on!?

"C'mon, pink thing, please talk to me. I don't want to be alone anymore. Please."

I gulped, and stammered my name;

"E-E-Eri-c-con. Ericon."

"What a pretty name. I'm Emilon. Emilon Rodriguez. Man, this is so cool! I'm actually talking to someone! This is- where are you going?"

I had gotten to my feet and was trying to escape. But she was too fast for me, and I was soon cornered again.

"Let me go, please! I want to go home! Where the heck am I!? What are lizard people doing here!? Why are you so tall!? WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!?"

Emilon was seemingly concerned.

"Eri- I mean Ericon, please calm down. I'll tell you to the best of my ability, but I don't know much either, so…"


	4. Chapter 4

Ch.4:

"To begin with, you are here. My people call this place Terraria, but I call it Earth. Why, I don't know, but there you have it. Second, there are 'lizard people' here because we've always been here. Third, I just am. Fourth, I am asking myself the same question. I mean, now there's a pink Lihzahrd with no head crests and scales, but has that… stuff on his head. That feels quite soft, by the way."

I stared at Emilon in disbelief. I was too shocked to really move. This was all too sudden for me. I felt I was on the verge of melting down.

"AAAAAAAAaaaahhhh…."

She looked at me, trying not to smile.

"Dude, you're gonna make me laugh again. Stop. Pffffttttt…"

I hung my head as Emilon started laughing again, probably remembering my first panic attack. I stood again, this time angry.

"OKAY, WHATEVER YOU ARE. LET ME GET ONE THING STRAIGHT. IT'S NOT OKAY TO LAUGH AT SOMEONE WHEN THEY'RE SCARED HALF TO DEATH! NOW LET ME GO!"

She just stared at me. Emilon slowly moved to the side, and I stormed to the exit.

And was promptly greeted with a floating eye with blood-dripping veins on its back.

"NEVER MIND. I'M STAYING IN HERE."

Emilon looked afraid.

"Demon Eye…"

She walked over to a painting on the wall and ripped it off its wall mount, which was a rusty nail. Behind it was a wooden sword and a wooden bow.

"Ericon, take the bow. You'll hit it with arrows from behind me, and I'll try and hit it with my sword. Another thing, don't try to hit me with the arrows, please."

She tossed the bow and a few arrows at me, and she picked up the small sword. I began to panic. What else could you do when a freaking DISEMBODIED EYE is floating there!? I swear it rolled its eye as if it was saying;

'Oh great; he's a panicker.'

It began to drift towards us, blood dripping from limp, floppy veins. Emilon took a mighty slash at it, a look of fear on her face. It instantly died, blood flying everywhere, two halves rolling across the floor.

I began to scream. I dropped the bow and began to run around in circles again. A very strong hand grabbed my shirt collar.

"Quit panicking! It's dead now! Stop!"

I slowly calmed down and stood there, shaking.

"See, look. It's dead now. Just calm down," she said, trying to ease my fear.

Emilon kneeled down in front of me.

"You okay? I don't see any scratches."

She ran her hand down the side of my head, examining me for any injuries. Her eyes were filled with concern and had just a twinge of positive energy behind them as well. I pulled back in disgust.

"You... killed it. Why? It was alive."

She smiled and shook her large head.

"And it wanted to snap you in half. I've seen so many good men fall to those things. Those Demon Eyes are relentless."

A groaning sound came from outside.

"Not zombies again. Ericon, please don't panic again. You'll just attract attention to yourself."

"WAIT… THERE ARE ZOMBIES TOO!?"

"I said quiet," she hissed.

"You need to be quiet. After I kill the zombies, I'll get us some of my food, okay," she said, forcing a smile.

"ZOMBIES, THOUGH! I- MPHHHHHHHH!"

Emilon had clamped her hand over my mouth and hissed at me;

"I told you to be quiet!"

*MOOOOAAAAAAANNNNN...*

"...oh, great. Ericon, meet the zombies."


	5. Chapter 5

VIRAL

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Terraria, or any of its assets. All that I own are Ericon, Emilon, Hal, Griffah, Solaris, Vortine, Nebulite, Stardon, Terra, the Chlorophyters, the Nethrons, the Hallownites, the Griefer Squad, the Crimstars, the Spectres, the Spectrals, the Dracos, the Titans, and the Counsel of the Moon Lord.

Ch. 5:

*RAAAAGGGGGHHHHH*

"Ericon, just… just stay in here. I'll go out and deal with the zombies. After, I'll pour out the stew and teach you how to use that bow. Just stay put, alright?"

She turned and headed out the entrance. As soon as the leggy, green-scaled girl exited, a loud chorus of gut-wrenchingly awful sounds drifted through the opening, an occasional yell mixed in between.

About three minutes later, Emilon walked in, a grimace of pain across her face.

"There… *phew*..."

She had one hand on her midriff, yellow blood dripping from between her fingers. She tried to smile, but she ended up bowling over from a shock of pain.

"Don't worry, Ericon. I'll be fine… OW!"

I stayed back, wondering what to do. She began to whimper.

"Ericon… please get some cloth out of the closet. Then tighten it around my waist. I'm bleeding a river over here."

So, that was why she had those strips of cloth hanging from makeshift hangers. They were large bandages, pretty much. I walked into her room and pulled a rather large strip off a hanger. I then rushed back and began to tie it around her waist rather tightly.

"Th-thanks… ow…"

I stepped back as she began to straighten up and walk towards me. She had something in her hand, outstretched. When she unclenched her hand, I saw a strange stone. It seemed to shimmer and glow through bright orange to yellow, then back again.

"Pretty cool, huh," she asked with wonder in her voice.

She set it into my hand. The strange stone heated my hands, and I felt stronger somehow.

"Hold still for a sec…"

I looked up. And she wrapped be in a bone-crushing hug.

"AGGHH! WHAT THE FLIP ARE YOU DOING!? GET OFF! I-"

Then she did the unthinkable. She kissed me. On the lips. Hard.

I then did the only thing possible. I tried to break free. But breaking free was next to impossible. Her strength was so great that escape was hopeless. When she finally stopped smooching me, I slipped from under her arms and ran as fast as I could out of that cave. Just as I left, I heard laughter coming from somewhere. I looked around as I sprinted along, and I saw two more Lihzahrd on top of a hill. They were both teens, were 11 to 12 feet tall, and they both held cans of beer. Oh, and one of them had a gun. And he took a shot at me. He missed by a few yards. I tried to run faster. Which failed, because he managed to hit me.

"AAGGGHHH!"

I screamed as I ran into the Jungle, where darkness surrounded me. I felt somewhat safe now. Except for the new hole in my side where the bullet hit. I felt myself getting weaker somehow. Grimacing, I ripped the bullet out of my side. I somehow knew that something was up with it. I glowed purple.

"Venom…"

I staggered against a tree and slid to the ground. I breathed heavily as I began to feel dizzy from the venom.

"Looks like I'm going to die out here. All alone. Thanks a lot, God. You sure make me feel REAL GOOD."

There was a crunching sound. I didn't move a muscle.

Then I heard an all too familiar voice that made me wish I was actually dead at that moment:

"Ericon? Are you out there? I'm sorry… please come back… please?"

Well, if she wanted to find me she would have to look really hard, now wouldn't she?

"THERE YOU ARE, ERI!"

Oh, dear God, please send a meteor my way and hit me in the head with it. NOW.

"Oh, Eri, there you are! I thought you had died."

"You know what, lizard person, I wish I was dead right about now. WHY THE FLIP DID YOU KISS ME!?"

She seemed actually guilty

"I-I'm sorry.I… got a little carried away.I'd never… I mean… I-"

I shook my head.

"That's besides the point. As you can see, I have been shot by a couple of drooling, idiotic teenagers, and am dying from a venomous bullet wound. IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND, I WOULD LIKE SOME ANTI-VENOM AND SOME TIME TO HEAL."

She stared at me with a very concerned and also a little bit sad and guilty look in her eyes.

"How did you find me? I mean, it's a huge forest, I could've been anywhere."

She pointed to her nose.

"I could smell you. Us Lihzahrd can smell very faint trails of certain things, like your scent."

GREAT. That meant she could find me anywhere.

"Okay, lizard person. Just to be clear, I absolutely fear and loathe you. I hate you, essentially. So don't get any ideas. Another thing; I intend to make it home ALONE. I have no idea what the flip is going on, but I intend to make it through this life without a psychotic lizard woman that kissed me! JUST GET THE FLIP AWAY! AAGH!"

I staggered over as the bullet would stabbed at my side. I couldn't stand. Red kept flashing in my vision. I fell to one knee and held my side in agony.

"Just stay back. I'll get myself to safety, thank you very much. As long as I can walk, I'll survive. Just stay away. Ow."

I fell onto my face in pain and exhaustion.

"Okay. I could actually use the help right about now, as it seems that I can no longer walk. You're very strong, and with those leg muscles, you could easily lift me."

Emilon frowned. "It wouldn't hurt to say please once in a while. Fine."

When we arrived at the cave, the two teenage knuckleheads were gone. No trace of them on top of the hill that Emilon lived in. We entered the warm, orange-lit cavern, and I was set onto a cot and wrapped in a blanket (which turned out to be another piece of clothing. GROSS!) The leggy lizard person named Emilon walked over to the massive steel cauldron which was hung over a still-burning fire. She grabbed a large steel ladle and scooped out some golden, steaming liquid.

"Here. This'll heal your bullet wound and cure you of your poisoning."

I wrinkled my nose at the smell that washed over me.

"Let me guess. That is a soup of those disgusting heart-shaped fruits, isn't it?"

The lizard woman smiled. "They're called Life Fruits. They are incredibly healthy, but the not-so-ripe and the overly ripe ones are staggeringly sweet. Even I can't stand them. But, when you have no other food source, you kind of have to make do."

She pulled out two large bowls and set one in front of me, and the other on the table that sat across from her cauldron. With a mighty inhaling of air, she blew out the fire. From that, I could tell she was incredibly powerful and was impossibly strong. She could make Chuck Norris nervous. She sighed, and gestured me to sit across from her. I shook my head furiously. I never wanted to be near that girl again. She terrified me. What was happening to my world? It had changed so fast, and I couldn't begin to hope to keep up. If I was to survive, I would need to question her. But that meant getting close to her, which I still refused to do. So, I would have to figure out what was going on myself. I vowed to explore this alien land and to restore the order that had disappeared. I would conquer the world, if need be.


End file.
